Insurgency: Scrap VFA

A new year means new kidnappings by Abu Sayyaf.  

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091641

The military’s Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) has confirmed that the five Indonesian fishermen seized on January 16 off Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia, were taken to the province of Sulu. 

Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Westmincom chief, said Wednesday two of the six gunmen involved in the kidnapping, who turned out to be Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits, have been killed in an airstrike off Sulare Island, Parang, Sulu. 

“Initially, they abducted eight, but the three were immediately released and they were the ones who reported to the incident to their superior, who in turn reported to Malaysian authorities,” he said. 

The six ASG bandits, who staged the abduction, forced the five Indonesian fishermen onto their twin-engine speedboat and sped off leaving behind the other three on a tugboat. 

Sobejana said they immediately deployed forces to prevent the entry of the ASG bandits to the territorial waters of the Philippines upon coordination by their Malaysian counterpart. 

However, he said the incident happened at 3 p.m. but they received the communication from Malaysian authorities at 6 p.m. 

“There was a three-hour gap. In those three hours, they were able to slip through (the Philippine territory) bringing the kidnap victims,” he said.

The last kidnapping happened in October when a British national and his wife were abducted in Zamboanga. They were safely recovered but Abu Sayyaf is at it again abducting fishermen. Why are they able to continue with their kidnapping activities? There are two answers.

https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/trilateral-patrols-01222020162726.html

Kidnappings in Malaysian waters bordering Indonesia and the Philippines – largely blamed on Abu Sayyaf militants – are still happening despite joint air and sea patrols launched in 2017, a Filipino military official conceded Wednesday, saying it remains a challenge to secure the local seas because of their sheer size. 

While the Trilateral Maritime Patrols (TMP) launched in 2017 have had some effect in combating the threat, the region is lawless as pirates and militants reign with impunity, said Maj. Arvin Encinas, spokesman for the Philippine military’s Western Mindanao Command. 

“We have our ongoing operation right now. We cannot just do it alone – it’s coordinated with our counterparts,” Encinas told BenarNews. “It’s effective, but it’s not enough since the area we cover is too big.” 

His counterparts in Indonesia and Malaysia offered similar comments. 

They spoke about strengthening patrols to protect civilians, less than a week after suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen abducted five Indonesian fishermen from a fishing boat in Malaysian waters in eastern Sabah state, close to Tawi-Tawi province in the southern Philippines. 

A spokesman for the Indonesian military (TNI) said the countries were hampered by boundaries. 

Indonesian Security Minister Mahfud MD said he planned to discuss maritime security concerns with Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, adding there was a reason for why the kidnappings were still happening. 

“Because Abu Sayyaf has not died,” he told reporters.

The size of the ocean to patrol is too big and international boundaries must be respected and Abu Sayyf, despite their dwindling numbers, is not dead. Any assertion to the contrary is premature as seen by this recent kidnapping. This is no time for the AFP to let down their guard or think the fight is almost over. 

Newly installed AFP Chief Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. has bared his plan for protecting the nation.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1217825/afp-chief-seeks-an-end-to-local-armed-conflict-before-shift-to-territorial-defense

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. said he would prioritize on ending local armed conflict during his term before they can finally shift their full focus on a territorial defense role. 

(We’ve always said that we need to end the local terrorist armed conflict. Business and economy will boom, all of us will be united for our country. Then we could focus on the real threat against our territory.) 

Communist insurgency and the neutralization of terrorists in Mindanao continue to be a hindrance to the military’s total shift to external defense. 

(My priority is ending local armed conflict. If we finally end it, the groups that establish hate against the government will go away. Hopefully, we will be one as Filipinos. If we have done that, the territorial defense role would be easy.) 

Even with the current focus on internal security challenges, the military has started to develop its capabilities for territorial defense through the AFP modernization program. 

Santos said they are aiming “to be a credible armed forces” before the decade ends. The modernization program is divided into three phases called “horizon,” and the last phase is from 2023 to 2028. 

“Hopefully, we’ll attain that objective,” he said. 

The need to shift to territorial defense is highlighted by China’s continued aggression in the West Philippine Sea. But Santos would not say what they are specifically preparing for in terms of territorial defense. 

(It’s for a potential threat. We can’t predict the alignment of the superpowers. Our (modernization) goal is not for offensive but to protect our country.)

AFP Chief Santos wants to end the local terrorist armed conflict before the AFP focuses on the real threat to the nation. What is the real threat to the Philippines? Is it China? Santos says China is only a potential threat not an actual threat.  Two weeks ago he said the very opposite.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1090510

"Similar to my predecessors, my tenure as Chief of Staff will be grounded on the realization of the AFP's vision to be world-class armed forces that are a source of national pride," Santos said in a statement late Thursday. 

He called for the continued protection, defense, and security of the country against foreign intrusions, and the extraction and exploitation of natural resources. 

The AFP chief called for the sustained support to national policy and defense agenda that aim to develop a credible force and strengthen capabilities on occupied features in the Kalayaan Island Group. 

Santos also ordered the reinforcement of maritime and air domain awareness particularly in sea lanes of communications, Philippine Defense Area of Operations, and Philippine Air Defense Identification Zone. 

"The AFP shall also continue to monitor developments in the Spratlys particularly the facilities and structures constructed and military hardware and defense systems installed/deployed in these areas," he added. 

To achieve this, Santos called for the creation of an intelligence network and communication system for timely reporting of the situation in the West Philippine Sea. 

He added that AFP troops should support national efforts in territorial waters against illegal fishing, poaching, and island taking/building, and support law enforcement against transnational crime. 

The AFP chief also called for the expansion of existing international military engagements; strategically shape the security agenda, and promote defense and security cooperation through international defense and security engagements and peacekeeping operations. 

This includes the enhancement of border security using existing cooperative agreements such as the TCA with Malaysia and Indonesia and increases coordinated patrols with other ASEAN militaries to prevent the use of common maritime borders for the transit of terror groups, transport of contrabands, and conduct of other illegal activities. 

For internal security operations, Santos directed all AFP commanders to build upon gains of the Development Support Security Plan "Kapayapaan" and finish targeted goals related to the defeat of the communist terrorist group (CTG). 

On this, he said the AFP's five primary tasks: Decisively engage CTG armed groups; Clear priority guerilla fronts; Dismantle regional guerilla units; Neutralize key leaders, officers, and HVIs; and Conduct resource-control operations and increase the tempo of clearing guerilla fronts, pursue localized peace initiatives.

It is only China that is taking islands and poaching fish and other natural resources. So why would Santos call China only a potential threat?  AFP Chief Santos also links the defeat of the local terrorist groups with a necessary booming in the economy saying, "Business and economy will boom, all of us will be united for our country." Some LGU's agree wholeheartedly with this statement.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091077

The presence of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID) has been one of the contributing factors of this city’s progress and development, Mayor Oscar Moreno said during the occasion of the division's 50th founding anniversary on Wednesday. 

Because of the region's stable peace and order, Moreno said investments have been poured into Northern Mindanao, especially in Cagayan de Oro, its capital, as well as the city's neighboring towns.

Sometimes it appears that the only reasons to end the local armed conflict are purely economic. Newly installed commander of East Mindanao Command is dead set on destroying the communists and not for economic reasons.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091972

The newly-installed commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) vowed to put an end to the communist insurgency and bring genuine peace in his area of responsibility. 

"Anchoring on the intent of the Commander in Chief to end local communist armed conflict, as stated in the Executive Order 70, the Eastern Mindanao Command will remain resolute in its commitment to comply and endeavor to defeat the communist terrorist group and to finally declare the Filipino people as victors against these menace of the society which has been causing chaos, economic sabotage, and exploitation of the vulnerable communities for more than 50 years now," Maj. Gen. Jose Faustino said in his speech during the change of command ceremony held here on Saturday. 

"The Eastern Mindanao Command has spearheaded the fight against the communist terrorists for several years already, and our efforts and innovations in ending local communist armed conflict have become the benchmark of success for the whole AFP," said the 55-year-old official, who once served as chief of the 11th Intelligence Service Unit in Davao City. 

"We will continue to do so. Not because it is part of our mission, but because it is the righteous thing to do in my almost three decades of service to the nation," he added. 

"I have come to understand not just the ideology behind this communist terrorist group but also the endless manipulations, the deceptions, the utter horror brought about by this group to our children, to our families. Countless innocent children have died, families broken, and parents suffering from the loss of their loved ones. Enough is enough. this has to end," he pointed out. 

Faustino, whose area of responsibility covers half of Mindanao's land area, said he will "take the fight to the heart of their ideology, to the center of their comfort zones, and to the deepest and remotest guerrilla bases." 

"We will not tire. We will not falter. We will break them hard so that no Filipino will become hostage to this godless communist ideology ever again," he said.

His remarks are reminiscent of the "We shall fight on the beaches" speech of Winston Churchill. Nothing about economics in his motive to defeat the communists. Of course one of the ways to end the local armed conflict is purely economic.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091930

Police and military authorities have issued a guide for local businesses in Bukidnon province in dealing with the extortion activities of the communist New People's Army (NPA). 

The guide, 8IB said, is contained in a simple infographic detailing the process that each business operator must do if they received a demand for "revolutionary tax" from the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). 

According to the infographic, business owners should preserve the letters, text messages, or phone calls of actual extortion demands, immediately report these to authorities, who will then verify, investigate, and provide relevant feedback. 

The 8IB said the NPA's extortion schemes involve sending out demand letters to local businesses to pay revolutionary taxes. Those who fail to pay up usually get their facilities or equipment burned down. 

Authorities added that the scheme is more common among contractors of government infrastructure projects, who often face delays due to the constant harassment from the NPA. 

“We are urging everybody to help us stop the finance of the NPA by reporting and preserving all calls, text messages and CCTV’s images because we need them to identify the suspects, report it to nearest Army and PNP offices," said Lt. Col. Ronald Illana said, commanding officer of the 8IB. 

Buklod president Doy Lopez has called on his 21-member businesses to post the "extortion guide" on their establishments, including the police and military hotlines to generate awareness and among their employees. 

“Being the president of this organization, I am encouraging everybody to help our Army and PNP, and do not be afraid to report and cooperate with them. It’s not only the NPAs who are doing extortion but there are other criminal groups and individuals also," Lopez said.

Last year the DILG said they had a list of 349 government execs who were paying NPA extortion money in order to campaign. They made it clear that they had a list and new names and were watching.

"We now have a watchlist, we know you. So if you are supporting communist rebels, in any way, you ascertain yourself as a supporter of terrorism and an enemy of the state, you establish yourself as an accomplice to their cause," he says. 

“We cannot win the war against terrorism if these local officials continue funding the very source of terrorism in the first place," he adds. 

The DILG Secretary says that of the 349 officials, there are 11 provincial governors; five vice governors; 10 provincial board members; 55 mayors; 21 vice mayors and 41 councilors.

https://www.dilg.gov.ph/news/DILG-349-government-execs-pay-CPP-NPA-extortion-money-permit-to-campaign/NC-2019-1060

What happened to these people? Probably nothing. Which is why the DILG is touting a new list of NPA supporters.

https://mindanaodailymirror.ph/Main/full_article/malacanang-watchlist-shows-npa-supporters4866

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) 11 has revealed that Malacañang has provided it with a watchlist containing names of politicians, government workers, and business owners allegedly providing support to the New People’s Army (NPA). 

Speaking to reporters at a briefing on Wednesday at the Royal Mandaya Hotel, DILG 11 director Alex Roldan refused to reveal the names of the individuals, saying his office wants to take the most peaceful approach in dealing with the situation. 

(We don’t want to make the issue bigger and to shame the officials who are still giving support to the other side.) 

Roldan said the task of the DILG is to talk to those who are in the watchlist and ask them to stop supporting the activities of the rebels. 

(What we want to do is urge them to stop supporting the Left.) 

Roldan said Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año has already signified his intention to talk to the concerned personalities if needed. 

“If ever they cannot stop because of threats from the Left, talk to the Secretary or even President Duterte on how to go with it or what they can help,” he said. 

He said some mayors, vice mayors, barangay captains, barangay councilors, and other government workers and business owners in the region are in the watchlist.

Funny how the government knows who these people are and nothing is done about them. The same could be said for lists of alleged narco-cops and narco-politicians.

NPA extortion activites are very profitable. From PLDT and Globe to local politicians the NPA is rolling in cash. They extorted P900 million in N. Samar alone. It has been an uphill battle for the AFP, DILG, and DND to dry up the financial resources of the NPA and apparently a futile one. Most probably think the way Duterte does, or once did, which is it is better to pay them.

http://davaotoday.com/main/politics/new-peoples-army/npa-taxation-a-reality-just-pay-them-says-duterte/

“It’s a fundamental question for business: is it good to do business in the mountains? Do we give in to them?” the mayor asked. 

He said as mayor of a city in Mindanao dealing with “revolutionary” and “ideological” groups such as the Communist Party of the Philippines and Moro revolutionary groups, the way to deal with them is to talk to them. 

“It’s a matter others want to avoid. But it’s a reality that has to be talked openly, since the NPA is more active now in Region 11, notwithstanding the statements from the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines),” Duterte said. 

December last year, Duterte drew flak when his pronouncement during a visit at the Communist Party of the Philippines quoted him as saying that he pays revolutionary tax. A youtube video later circulated accusing him of giving P125 million as annual revolutionary taxes. 

He clarified that he attended the CPP anniversary at a Typhoon Pablo-affected area where he gave some amount for the typhoon victims; the funds were sourced out from private donors. He said he merely kidded that the funds were the taxes that he would pay to NPAs, but because there was no barangay captain around to receive the donation, he coursed it through local NPA leaders. 

As to the NPAs asking taxes he said “I cannot put it to a stop. So factor that in your investments. If you pay to the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue), you prepare also for the NPA.” Some participants giggled and smiled on this remark.

None of those remarks are funny or helpful in the least. In fact they are very damning on his part. Not much of anything Duterte has done about the communist and Islamic terrorist problems has been helpful.  From freeing several NDFP members to flip-flopping on peace talks to making sure MNLF founder and leader Misuari remains free to falsely praising China for helping out in the Marawi siege most of what Duterte has done has been rather backwards. Now he is threatening to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States because Senator Bato's US visa has been cancelled.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1218839/duterte-threatens-to-scrap-vfa-if-us-doesnt-rectify-batos-visa-cancellation

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday threatened to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) if the United States does not “correct” its cancellation of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s visa. 

“I’m warning you. This is the first time. Kapag hindi ninyo ginawa ang correction diyan [If you do not correct that], one: I will terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement. Tapusin ko ‘yan pu**** in*** yan [I’ll end that son of a bitch],” Duterte said in a speech in the province of Leyte. 

The President said he is giving the US government one month to reverse its cancellation of Dela Rosa’s visa.

Despite giving time to correct the cancellation of Bato's visa the administration says they have already begun the process of terminating the VFA. It is not clear what the result would be if the VFA were to be scrapped since the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) would still remain in force. At a bare minimum it would mean no more shore leave in Manila and Angeles. But since the VFA is a vital part of the MDT and EDCA which regulates US troops in the Philippines it could also mean no more US military activities in the Philippines and the effective cancellation of those prior agreements.

While all of that remains to be seen the most interesting thing to come out of this situation of Bato's visa cancellation so far is his admission that he has worked with the FBI and CIA.

“I’ve been helping my counterparts from the US government, particularly their enforcement—the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation], the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency], and other agencies ng [of] US. We’ve been working together, ngayon  after that ganito, tanggalin nila [but now this, they’ll just have to cancel it]? It’s quite  bad.”

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1218210/bato-on-us-visa-cancellation-what-a-good-birthday-gift

How has Bato been helping out the FBI and the CIA? What other US agencies has he been helping? Those questions demand answering especially in the face of the administration excoriating Robredo for looking to the US for help in the drug war. Now that the whole nation knows Bato is a CIA asset it just goes to show how hypocritical these people are.

Just as unhelpful as Duterte's intention to scrap the VFA is his mishandling of the Marawi rehabilitation.  From delays in clearing and rebuilding because a blacklisted Chinese contractor was initially hired to delays in appropriating funds to approved projects the rebuilding of Marawi is a huge mess.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1219861/p406m-in-marawi-funds-for-2018-expire

At least P406.5 million in funds allotted in 2018 for the rebuilding of Marawi City expired and reverted to the national treasury mainly because of the slow approval of the national disaster agency and the Office of the President. 

The Marawi funds were included in the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said acting Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado. 

“[But] the [Department of Budget and Management’s] (DBM) releases are contingent on the NDRRMC’s endorsement and the Office of the President’s approval,” Avisado said. 

Under NDRRMC rules, the NDRRMF can only be disbursed after implementing agencies submit project proposals that have been evaluated by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) that serves as the secretariat of the NDRRMC, which subsequently endorses the project to the Office of the President, Avisado explained. 

The government also struggled to use the P3.5 billion in Marawi funds appropriated under the 2019 spending bill, which will expire at the end of the year. 

The latest DBM data showed that P5.1 billion was allotted for the Marawi Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program (MRRRP) in the 2018 national budget and P4.4 billion was released as of Dec. 31, 2019. 

Of the P717.6-million balance, P311.1 million was earmarked for several projects but P307.9 million remained pending for approval by the Office of the President, on top of P3.3 million already approved by the Office of the President for issuance of the special allotment release order. 

Thus, P406.5 million expired despite the flurry of fund disbursements in December.

Given the problems in approving funds for projects it's about time a Marawi Rehabilitation Oversight Body has been proposed.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091654

Security and local government officials have proposed the creation of oversight committees to promote transparency and alignment of operations in relation to the rehabilitation of Marawi City. 

The proposal was presented in a dialogue by Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana on Tuesday where they discussed resolutions for issues affecting Marawi City’s rehabilitation. 

Sobejana said issues concerning the rehabilitation scheme, including cyber propaganda, were discussed during the dialogue attended by traditional and elected leaders at the headquarters of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade in Marawi City.

It's too bad such an oversight body was not established immediately when the rehabilitation efforts began.